This Week In Illinois History: Birth Of The Twinkie (April 6, 1930)

The Twinkie, America’s model junk food, got its start in Illinois. Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930, at the Continental Baking Company in River Forest. Manager James Dewar noticed that the equipment used to make the company's small baked strawberry shortcakes sat idle when strawberries were out of season. He came up with the idea to inject the spongy yellow cakes with a fluffy white cream filling, and the Twinkie was born.